Subject:
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Re: What would a kid think? (Re: Concerns with Racial Attitudes and Lego)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 16 Aug 2000 05:59:30 GMT
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Viewed:
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223 times
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In lugnet.starwars, Todd Lehman writes:
> > > [...]
> > > Yeah, traditions are important, even when they're hurtful. That's what
> > > I had to get her to understand. It's nice to see that you already do.
> >
> > Eric, I seriously doubt that the yellow minifig is as repulsive as
> > domestic violence. I think you cheapen your argument by reacting in that
> > way to Bruce's assessment of TLC's position (as I understand his
> > comments). That's TLC's position, not his own.
>
> I don't think it was 100% crystal clear that Eric wasn't being serious.
> If I didn't know Eric, and I didn't know that he wasn't married, and I
> didn't know that he was a swell guy anyway who would never advocate
> domestic violence, I might be disturbed as well.
>
> However, Eric is a swell guy and he was simply giving an faux anecdote to
> make a point, albeit facetiously and somewhat flippantly. Please try to
> take that into account. :-)
I hope I understood Eric's argument (that traditions aren't necessarily good,
and often are changed for the better), and I totally agree with it. I even
grabbed a sense of humour, and had a (wry) smile on my dial the first time I
read his post. My reply reacted more to the example than the actual point, and
although I didn't think Eric was being serious, I firmly believe domestic
violence is one issue which is in no way funny. I'm glad we agree on that
point.
> In the meantime, let me offer the suggestion of turning back time 20 years
> to being a kid: Pretend that you were born in 1993 and you are now entering
> this debate. What would be your viewpoint as a 7-year-old? What arguments
> would you put forth arguments in favor of one side or the other? How would
> you react to the adults viewpoints expressed recently?
If I was seven, I think I'd want minifigs that were as close as possible to
the "real" characters. I can remember being upset that some of my SW figures
were the wrong shade of pink. But on the other hand these aren't "realistic"
models of the characters -- they're Legopeople, and Legopeople are (almost)
always yellow. They're always yellow because that's the way it is in their
world. Even if they're meant to be one particular character, they still need
to be yellow, so they can fit in with the other Legopeople.
Being twenty-three, I can see more than a few problems with that reasoning.
But I still think that Lego is a great educational toy, mostly because it
makes people use their imagination. So it makes sense to me when I make up
interpretations for the universal yellow minifig (UYM?), like the following
(from http://news.lugnet.com/starwars/?n=8633 ):
> But in Legoland everyone is physically the same. Maybe I'm reading too much
> into it, but I see this as a metaphor for political equality. As Bruce says,
> "The lack of diversity in minifigs IS a political message." Liberal concepts
> of equality have been extended through time. Ideas that were once only applied
> to rich white adult men are now generally accepted as applying to all humans.
>
> "Yellow=everyone" probably is a retroactive excuse. But it's also an active
> possibility. The generic smiley is Anyone. It changes gender with a new
> hairstyle, profession with a new tool, time period with a new costume. No
> longer is it a little European child playing dress-up; now it's Anyone who can
> do anything.
This argument makes me feel comfortable (as a middle-class white adult man
with fairly progressive views), but it doesn't mean that either TLC or anyone
born in 1993 actually thinks that way.
People have mentioned Duplo World People. But how many of those
"World People" appear anywhere except set 9171? The other place to look is
Belville and Scala. Maybe one black figure in Scala later this year? Otherwise
it's all pale skin and blonde hair (and a Prince to sweep you off your feet if
you're lucky enough to be a Princess). At least minifigs have anonymous,
swappable, bright yellow heads, giving kids freedom to be truly creative.
--Dave
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